Japan reports more than 1,200 new cases as country struggles to contain spike

People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus walk on a street in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, August 4. Koji Sasahara/AP

Japan recorded 1,240 new coronavirus cases and six virus-related deaths on Tuesday, as the country grapples with a recent spike in infections.

Tuesday's figures raise the national total to 41,841 cases and 1,035 deaths.

Of Tuesday's new cases, abut a quarter came from the country's capital, Tokyo. This is the eighth straight day that Tokyo has recorded more than 200 new daily cases.

Two thirds of the city's Tuesday cases are untraceable, meaning authorities were unable to find out the source of infection, said the metropolitan government.

Other major cities like Osaka also saw high numbers of new cases, raising concerns among local politicians. The governor of Kanagawa prefecture, which neighbors Tokyo, said he expected the rise in Tokyo cases to also spread into his prefecture.

A spike in cases: For months, Japan seemed to have the virus largely under control. Throughout most of May and June, daily case numbers hovered around several dozen, ranging from around 20 to 60 a day.

But case numbers passed 100 on June 30, and have only continued rising since then, jumping by hundreds in a matter of weeks.

Ron Klain, former White House Ebola response coordinator, speaks during a House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing in Washington DC, on March 10. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

People in the United States are at high risk of dying from coronavirus -- perhaps more than people anywhere else in the world, said Ron Klain, the former Ebola czar under President Barack Obama.

“America has one of the worst numbers on planet Earth. You are more likely as an American to die from Covid then you are in almost any other country,” said Klain, who was chief of staff to then vice-president Joe Biden, on Tuesday.

"It is what it is": In an interview with the news website Axios on Monday, President Donald Trump responded to a question about the high Covid-19 death rate in the US by saying “it is what it is.”

Trump also argued that he’s doing a good job and that the US is doing better than any other country in responding to the pandemic.

Victoria's State Premier Daniel Andrews arrives for a news conference in Melbourne, Australia, on August 5. William West/AFP/Getty Images

The Australian state of Victoria, the current center of the country's outbreak, saw 725 new coronavirus cases and 15 new deaths on Tuesday, according to State Premier Daniel Andrews.

The state is three days into a Stage 4 Lockdown. Earlier in July, Melbourne -- the state capital -- had been placed under soft lockdown as cases spiked. Victoria reimposed the full lockdown after declaring a "state of disaster" on Sunday.

Of Tuesday's new cases, 164 have been linked to known cases and outbreaks. The remaining 561 cases are still under investigation for infection origin.

Twelve of the 15 new deaths reported are linked to elderly care homes. One man aged in his 30s has died after contracting the virus, Andrews said. 

New lockdown rules: In a news briefing on Tuesday, Andrews thanked residents for abiding by the new restrictions, and called out those who were flouting the rules.

He also announced that non-urgent elective surgery in public and private hospitals will be put on hold until further notice to preserve capacity in the health system 

Father Tomas Torres Najera, Vicar of the Cuernavaca Diocese greets parishioners sitting in their cars before Mass at a drive-in cinema in Cuernavaca, Mexico, on Sunday, August 2. Marco Ugarte/AP

Mexico reported 6,148 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing its total number of infections to nearly 450,000, according to the country's Health Ministry. 

The ministry also registered 857 new related fatalities, raising the total death toll to 48,869. 

On Monday, Mexican Education Minister Esteban Moctezuma announced that the 2020-21 school year will begin with remote learning on August 24.  

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to the media during a visit to a Texas Division of Emergency Management Warehouse in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, August 4. Eric Gay/AP

Stacey Nagy, a Texas woman who lost her husband David to the coronavirus, called out the President and state governor Greg Abbott in no uncertain terms in his obituary.

"Family members believe David's death was needless," the obituary read. "They blame his death and the deaths of all the other innocent people, on Trump, Abbott, and all the other politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were more concerned with their popularity and votes than lives."

Nagy told CNN on Tuesday night that she initially hoped putting her husband’s obituary in their local newspaper might spur members of her community to respect the seriousness of the pandemic, and was surprised when her words spread nationwide online.

“I posted it in my little town’s little newspaper, and hoped that a few of the residents would read it and start wearing masks, and I had no idea that it would have turned out the way it did," she said.

Loving husband: Nagy told CNN how her husband lived, in addition to the manner in which he died.

“Dave was a character, he was a fun-loving person, and he loved his family dearly,” Nagy said. “You know, I could be in the kitchen washing dishes at the sink and he would come up and start kissing the back of neck, giving me chills in the back of my neck, and he was the love of my life, and I love him. He was a part of me, and I feel lost without him.”

US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House in Washington DC, on Tuesday, August 4. Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

US President Donald Trump told reporters that he is “looking at” possibly signing an executive action if no deal is made by the end of this week on unemployment benefits but said that “progress” is being made on the Hill.

Trump also sounded more encouraged by discussions today on the Hill saying, “We’re talking with the Democrats. They seem to be much more interested in solving the problems in some of the Democrat-run states and cities that have suffered greatly through bad management.”

“As far as the various things that I may or may not sign -- I may not have to sign. Progress has been made as you know, very well on the Hill. We’ll see what happens, including the payroll tax suspension,” Trump added.

It remains unclear what, if any, legal authority the executive branch has to address those issues in a substantive manner. Congressional aides and lawmakers, who remain in the dark on the details, are skeptical the efforts have any validity. 

Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti speaks during a news conference in Pristina, Kosovo, on July 24. Armend Nimani/AFP/Getty Images

Kosovo's Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has tested positive for Covid-19, his press office told CNN on Tuesday. 

Hoti is in good health and will stay home for the next two weeks, following his doctor's recommendation, his press office said.

"Indeed, we have a difficult situation here, but the government and health institutions are doing everything they can to manage and prevent this pandemic," the press office told CNN in an e-mail.

Latin America and the Caribbean have reached over 5 million cases of Covid-19, according to a CNN tally based on Johns Hopkins University (JHU) data.

As of Tuesday morning, the region has reported 5,021,760 coronavirus cases and 203,589 deaths, according to the data released by JHU.

Brazil continues to be second hardest-hit country worldwide following the US and the first in the Latin American region with 2,750,318 cases reported on Monday, according to JHU.

Among the top 10 countries with the most cases worldwide, five are from Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Chile and Colombia, according to JHU.

Several countries in Latin America, including Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and Peru, have seen an acceleration in the number of new cases over the past two to three weeks.

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here: